After more than 80 days of occupation the workers of the bike factory Bike Systems in Nordhausen/Thuringia decided to resume production managed in a grass-roots democratic way. The works owned by the American investment company Lonestar had already been to be closed down when the workers surprisingly learned that they should not even get their legal severance pays.
Instantly, they decided to occupy the factory, which they did in three shifts every day since July 10th. The factory had been a profitable business. Yet, the production was ceased in order to strengthen the regional competitor MIFA and to even achieve an increase in profits for the owner Lonestar.
Thuringia is an area in the east of Germany with high rates of unemployment and a low level of industries.
In order to point the way forward the workers brought out a new and very special product, the so-called strike-bike. There has already been an international solidarity campaign launched by anarchosyndicalist unionists, to which there was huge response. More than 1.000 orders from many countries were given within two weeks. However, international solidarity and support for the struggling workers in Nordhausen is still needed.
Bikes can be ordered for 275€ (190€ / stores) on www.strike-bike.de
Hamburg/Nordhausen, 19th of September in 2007:
Staff of occupied bicycle factory in the Thuringian Nordhausen take up production in self-management again
The 135 colleagues of the bicycle factory Bike Systems GmbH in the Thuringian Nordhausen, who keep the factory occupied since 10th of July 2007, decided to resume the production of bicycles in self-management. For this aim 1,800 binding orders on bicycles must be received till 2nd of October. So the collegues are working together with the anarcho-syndicalist union FAU (Freie Arbeiterinnen- und Arbeiter-Union – Free Workers-Union), which formed for this campaign the internetpage www.strike-bike.de.
Since more than two month the staff keep the factory in the south of Harz Mountains in three shifts occupied. They want to prevent the definite dismantling and sale of the factory. The file for bankruptcy from 10th of august is against long odds: The factory is exploited and ran down, the hall was emptied except for the coating line. The staff receives unemployment compensation and hopes for a new concept and a new investor.
The „Strike Bike“ - Solidarity-Bikes from Nordhausen
In the time of occupation and in the wake of discussions during the visits of solidary people, the colleagues of the factory developed the idea to initially take up the production in self-management for a short time. Because it’s not the point to only prevent the evacuation of the last machines and to wait for a new investor, the idea of an own ”Strike-Bike“ meet with more and more response. Now the opportunity arises to show the ability to develop an own concept and to self-manage production and distribution.
If it goes well to collect 1,800 advance orders for the bicycles produced in self-direction, we spread solidary ideas and bolster the colleagues in similar situations, not to let themselves easily being restructured to zero. By whomsoever!
The staff gets assistancy by the solidary members of anarcho-syndicalist union Freie Arbeiterinnen- und Arbeiter-Union (Free workers-union), which will become active in whole germany to spread the knowledge of the struggle of the bycicle-workers and to support the sale of the „Strike-Bike“.
More Informations can be received at: www.strike-bike.de
For background informations and history of the occupation www.labournet.de/branchen/sonstige/fahrzeug/bikesystems.html
To get in contact with the staff and to take orders
»Bikes in Nordhausen e.V.«
c/o. André Kegel,
Bruno-Kunze-Str. 39 - 99734 Nordhausen
Telefon: 03631 - 622 124 and 03631 - 403 591
Fax: 03631 - 622 170
eMail: fahrradwerk (ät) gmx.de
For further informations about the campaign of the FAU-„Strike Bike“-Solidaritygroup:
Spokesperson:
Folkert Mohrhof
- mobile 0179-4863252 and ...
respectively monday till friday from 10 am till 3 pm:
+49 40 - 20 90 68 96
presse (ät) strike-bike.de
Hamburg/Nordhausen, 1. October 2007 – 12 Uhr:
Occupied Bicycle Factory: sensational success of campaign –
the » Strike-Bike « will be produzed!
press conference at the factory on tuesday, 2nd of October 2007 – 3 pm
An unbelievable drive has leveraged the »Strike Bike« -campaign. There are more than 1.300 orders yet from all over the world. This is the result of the »Strike Bike«-campain of the collegues from the occupied factory in cooperation with the anarcho-syndicalist union Freie Arbeiterinnen- und Arbeiter-Union (Free Workers-Union, FAU). Now the sensation is perfect: At the end of october the obstreperous collegues will produce the red »Strike Bike« in self-management.
Overall Europe people were engaged in this campaign: they made presentations and events, visited local bicycle dealers, told their friends and collegues and distributed informations. Hundreds of webpages worldwide report on the »Strike-Bike«. The homepage www.strike-bike.de was attended 64.000 times. At last many big german-wide media reported about the fight of the Nordhausen Bicycle Factory. The result was overwhelming: the needed 1800 orders to start the production will be reached! But there are still some orders needed!